Nightmarish Realities
by ladynadiad
Summary: Sometimes what we fear the most can come to be reality, and sometimes it is just needless worry. Jade x Tear. No spoilers.


**Note from Author**: As always, these characters do not belong to me, they belong to Namco Bandai. Of course as always if Namco Bandai is willing to give Asch, Guy or Jade to me, I would be happy to take them. But until then, all I can do is play around with them in my writings. This is a creation of my own overactive imagination and serious boredom, nothing more and nothing less.

And because I'm a firm believer in realism here, I feel a need to mention that a one shot really isn't enough to detail how a relationship could form between my pairing. I'm writing this off the basis that one does exist and used some basis from my AU that does feature this pairing more, but it could also fit within the game itself, it really doesn't fall at any particular point in time in the game's timeline. I just wrote it because the plot bunny appeared in my head.

And thanks Diluculo for your wonderful beta skills for this one!

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Tear heard a scream echoing from a distance. It wasn't too far away, but if she was right about who it was and what caused it, she had better hurry. She ran in the direction from which she had heard the scream as fast as was possible, which was no mean feat considering the fact that the hallways of Daath Cathedral were quite easy to get lost in.

The hallways themselves were silent except for the echoes of her footsteps. It was quite strange, in fact. Did no one else hear what she had? It had sounded like someone was in pain…quite possibly near death even. She couldn't recall a time not seeing at least some Order of Lorelei member while she had explored the hallways in the past with everyone else. But then, she had no idea how long had passed since she had arrived; who knew how long it had been?

She reached a door that she hoped very much led to whomever it was she heard. However, knowing this annoying maze of corridors, it may very well lead to yet another hallway.

No, she couldn't get lost. Not now. Not when someone's life may well depend on her. She wrapped her hand around the handle nervously and pushed the door open.

Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw when she got a good look inside the room. The first thing she noticed was the fact that the room was decorated with the red of blood. If she hadn't been sure if she was in the right place, that definitely confirmed it.

She looked around the room some more, first to confirm that there was no danger to her or whoever it was that was hurt. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that whoever or whatever caused the rather macabre décor was nowhere to be found.

However, the sight she did see was one that would likely haunt her for as long as she lived. In the middle of the room, lying on the floor, she could see someone wearing a familiar uniform that was torn in many places andstained in a similar manner as the room.

Her hand went to her mouth without her even thinking of it. Whether that was to stop the sickness welling up in her throat, or to stop the scream that took everything within her to stop from coming out, she did not know. She only knew that it was Jade lying there, and she had to keep calm if he was to have any chance of surviving.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for just long enough to calm herself and gather her wits. She knew this wasn't going to be easy, and she needed to be calm and rational if she was to concentrate enough to heal this.

She walked over to where he was lying on the ground. Not caring about the amount of blood on the ground that had to be welling out of some wound, she knelt down beside him.

She felt herself take a sharp intake of breath upon seeing him closer. From a distance she had only seen a broad view of what happened. Now she could see that each of those ripped spots was the site of a large gash on his chest. There were also some smaller ones scattered about his body. No wonder there had been so much blood. Looking at him, she could tell he was still alive; she could see faint signs of life from him.

She could feel the wetness of tears welling up in her eyes as she started to chant her strongest healing arte. She knew that she couldn't just sit here and do nothing even if there was little hope.

Then she felt something touch her leg all of a sudden. She was so startled by it that she almost lost her focus. Then she realized the touch was gentle, not a threat. It was meant to reassure and did the job very well. She knew it was Jade, and if he could touch her and knew she was there, he had to be okay. He had to. She would heal him, and then everything would be normal again.

"Tear…" she heard him weakly say.

"Jade, don't talk. I'll have you healed soon and there will be plenty of time then."

She could feel a single teardrop roll down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly. This wasn't the time to lose control of her emotions. She could do that once she knew Jade wasn't in danger anymore.

She took a hold of his hand. That simple action was enough to help her concentrate again. She could feel his warmth, and that was exactly what she needed to be able to focus. It gave her the hope she needed to be able to do something to save him.

This time she couldn't fail. She was running out of time; if she failed at casting the arte this time, he would definitely die.

"Tear…don't…"

"Shhh…don't talk. Let me concentrate, and you'll be fine."

"You…can't heal this."

"Don't say that!" she sobbed. Even the thought of him dying without her doing anything brought more tears to her eyes. "I'll heal you, and you'll be fine Jade. Please…"

"Even you…can't heal this…"

"No! I can do this! I won't let you go without a fight!"

"Why?"

That was a good question. Why did it bother her so much to lose this man of all the people in the world? She did care about him, but never had anyone driven her to the point of crying like this.

"It's not like you to cry," he told her.

"No, it isn't."

He didn't have much time left, his voice had been growing weaker. She knew deep down that he was right; there was nothing she could do for him. She just hated the idea of doing nothing. Well, if she couldn't do anything, she could at least make sure he knew how she felt, perhaps it would give him peace. That and she would have no regrets, even if she wasn't completely sure herself about it.

"…I love you, Jade. Please, you can't leave me alone like this."

He smiled just a bit after she said that. For the first time since she arrived, he looked to be in no pain. No, that wasn't it, he appeared to be at peace with what was going to happen. Her words were enough to help him in a small way. If only that was enough for her... She would have to spend the rest of her life without him.

"…love you…Tear," he told her, his voice barely above a whisper. "Don't…"

She waited for him to finish what he was going to say, but he never did. She could no longer feel him holding onto her, and the warmth of his hand was gradually growing cold. He was gone forever.

Looking at him, she couldn't help but notice the slight smile he had. She was glad she was able to make him happy for his last moments. If only she had told him sooner…

She couldn't stop the flow of tears that came. If only she had gotten here sooner, maybe there would have been more that she could have done. Maybe he would even still be alive, or maybe she would be with him wherever he was now. She closed her eyes then and let the tears fall freely. At this point, she didn't care anymore about showing her weakness. She had already failed the one she loved. What else really mattered now?

After letting herself cry freely for what had seemed to be have been a long time but had only been about a minute, she suddenly heard a familiar voice call her name from a long distance away.

Her eyes suddenly flew open the moment she heard the voice. Was she hearing things now? It sounded like Jade calling her name, but he was so far away. That had to be impossible. He was gone.

Before she could figure out the answer, everything went black.

--

"Tear, wake up!" she heard Jade's voice saying to her, this time it sounded much closer, as if he were sitting right next to her.

She opened her eyes and saw him, alive and well. He was fully dressed in his uniform, which was in its usual perfectly impeccable condition, nothing like it had been moments ago. She must have been dreaming, but it had been so real that her relief upon seeing Jade alive and well was immense. Before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around him and held him tightly.

He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiastic greeting. That definitely confirmed what he had been thinking had happened to cause her to cry out in her sleep. So she had been dreaming about him.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against him to comfort her. "To what do I owe the honor of such a greeting?" he asked her, feigning a lack of knowledge. He knew she would be extremely embarrassed if she knew she had been talking in her sleep.

Her only response to him was to hold him even tighter and start crying anew. The sadness she had felt from her nightmare was still too fresh within her mind to be able to hold back the relief she felt that it was really just a dream. She needed to hold him and convince herself that she wasn't still dreaming.

He continued to hold her and let her cry. He could tell these tears were those of relief, not the ones of sadness he saw from her while she was still asleep. As tempting as it was to tease her about this, he just couldn't bring himself to do so. That could wait for later once her initial shock had worn off. The important thing now was to calm her down and find out what exactly happened in the dream to cause such a reaction.

Eventually, she loosened her hold of him and then looked up into his crimson eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose control of my emotions like that."

He could still see some wetness in her eyes from the remaining tears within them, but she appeared calmer now. "I find myself flattered that you would even show such emotions for me." He gently wiped away the remaining wetness from her eyes. "Now, perhaps you can tell me what caused this."

"It was just a really horrible dream. That's all. Nothing to worry about."

"And judging from your reactions so far, it must have involved me. Did you dream that I got horribly injured or killed?"

Her face flushed a bit at his correct guess. How could he have even known that? "P-perhaps…"

"Do you fear something happened to me so much then? From what I know, nightmares tend to reflect our fears and allow us to face them."

"It wasn't that. There was nothing I could do to help you. I couldn't even concentrate to use a simple healing arte, much less a complex one that would have been needed."

"Tear, you're a very skilled healer. You have nothing to worry about. It was only a dream."

Now she finally understood. He was right. She normally wasn't like that. What she really feared was letting her emotions get the better of her. If she couldn't remain calm, she would be unable to concentrate and do what was needed to be done. Then she would lose someone important to her like she did in that dream. If it had been anyone else, she probably would have remained calm enough.

That was the issue. She was afraid to love him. But it was too late for that; she was almost positive that the feelings she had for him were love. Admitting to it wouldn't help either, except that she wouldn't have the regrets she had in her dream for not telling him sooner.

If only it weren't so hard to say those three simple words: I love you. Such a short thing to say, but so full of meaning that no one can truly explain. And once those three little words were said, it would change things between her and Jade forever, and they couldn't be taken back. That was why she hadn't said anything before now.

"Well, um…I…" She started to say it, but couldn't quite get the last two words out.

He gently caressed her cheek with his fingers. "You what?"

"Um, it's nothing."

"You won't get off that easily this time. I can tell something is bothering you. Perhaps some persuasion would help."

She remembered the last time he said that. He had ended up tickling her until she begged him to stop and she had to tell him what was on her mind. It had been most embarrassing, only followed by her attempt to return the favor and finding out he wasn't in the least bit ticklish.

"Fine. I'll say it. Please, just no tickling this time."

"A shame. It is most delightful to hear you laugh like that. But you had better say it quickly or I will be forced to make you talk," he told her with a mischievous smirk on his face.

He never did make this sort of thing easy. Now she was forced into telling him or being tickled mercilessly. Maybe the tickling would be the lesser of two evils in this case. At least she would forget her worries for now.

No, she couldn't be a coward now. She had a feeling that dream was telling her to stop holding in her feelings and just face them. Once she did that, then she could worry about letting them get out of control. "I..um…" she started to say. She then took a deep breath to gather her nerves before speaking again, though her voice was barely above a whisper when she finally said it. "I…love you, Jade."

She was still looking right into his eyes when she finally said that. At first she wasn't sure if he would be able to hear her, but judging from his immediate reaction, he had heard her just fine. She was amazed that for no more than a moment he actually appeared surprised, quite the feat for anyone to accomplish.

Then she got scared at how he remained silent. Usually she would hear some sort of witty response within moments. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked him.

"No, not at all. I just wasn't expecting you to say it so soon."

"Then why the silence?"

"It seems you have accomplished the impossible, making me be at a loss for words."

"I see then. So have I found the weakness of the infamous Necromancer then?

"And what sort of weakness might that be?"

"You haven't said how you feel about the fact that I love you."

"Then I shall rectify that. How about if I were to say that I find you most courageous for putting your feelings into words that even I cannot seem to be able to say?"

"Then perhaps you need some persuasion."

His eyebrow raised at her comment. "Persuasion? If I recall right, you merely found out that the methods I use on you do not work on me."

"Then I just need to be creative and come up with another way to make you talk," she told him with a mischievous smile. "I think I have an idea that may work."

"Then please, do try. I'm curious what sort of idea you have."

No sooner than he had said that did she kiss him. Her kiss started off soft but then turned hungry and passionate. He returned her kisses with as much passion as she gave them.

And it didn't take very long before he said the words she longed to hear.

"I love you, Tear."

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Reviews are greatly appreciated!


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